Thanks for being here
by Phillozophy
Summary: There's something about the way his face lights up when he sees the pumpkin that he helped her carve that's contagious.


**Disclaimer:** more fluff dont own

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"No, Prin- Zelda, you gotta carve it… Yeah, like that. Good job!"

I've told him not to call me Princess, but he makes accidents regardless.

He pats my head, he likes doing that because it makes him feel taller, and cocks his head to the side. "Goddesses, you're darn good at that."

I catch the subtle twang in his accent and smile. He thinks he sounds stupidwhen he slips into his old speech patterns but to be perfectly honest, I find it cute.

It starts up more when he's sleepy or if he's stressed about something, but considering the fact that it's 11:00 at night, it's probably the former.

"Now just twist the thinger over by that notch over there and… Yup! You got it!" He says, beaming and grabbing the pumpkin out of my hands, holding it up. "Look, Princess! It's your very own Pump-King!"

Pump-King.

I feel my mouth twist into an unwanted smile but I groan to cover it up. "Link, that was _horrible."_

"Well, look at you! You're smilin' and laughin', Princ- Zelda! I think I got it pretty darn good if I got you laughin'." He grins and for a moment I'm captivated by how peaceful he looks in the firelight of our tiny sitting room.

The whole room was based off of a motif of warm colors, actually. The walls are a soft beige, the furniture is a rich shade of mahogany, and the floor is hardwood, save for the brown rug spread across the floor. I hate to be one of those sappy heroines I read in those clichéd romance stories, but it compliments Link's features perfectly.

"Zelda?" He waves a hand in front of my face. "You spaced out there. You alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, I'm just fine."

Did I mention that there's a cat on the couch, because there's a cat on the couch. About 15 of them.

But that's another story.

"Oh, that's good. But gee, Zelda…" Link examines the pumpkin a bit more, "Gosh, that's real darn good. This is your first time, right?"

I scratch the back of my head. "Yes, I think so."

I flop down on the couch with all 15 of the cats and curl up, watching as Link marvels over the pumpkin I carved. He's acting like a child on his birthday with all of his presents and it's adorable.

"Zeld- Hey, your hair's out." I run a hand through my hair, realizing that the hair tie has indeed fallen out.

"Huh. You're right."

"Want me to braid it for you?"

"Yes, please."

He knows that I have handmaidens to braid it for me but I let him anyways because it gives him a sense of still being useful. I know he has insecurity about that.

He crawls over on his hands and knees, we were sitting on the ground and carving, and I slide down the couch in front of him. He takes a few strands of my hair and starts playing with them.

"How was your day, Zelda?" He asks.

"Same old, same old. Minister Potho won't shut up about taxes and that's _very_ irritating." I grumble, pouting.

"Aww, that stinks." He grabs a brush from the side table nearby, it's an almost ritual to braid hair in this room so we keep a brush here at all times, and starts with the relaxing act of grooming my hair.

"I'm glad your hair doesn't have any tangles, Zelda. If it did, it'd be really hard to brush without hurtin' ya."

He doesn't seem to notice that he slipped again, so I secretly grin to myself and agree. "The handmaidens take extra good care of it so I'm always blessed with soft hair."

"I really like it. I think I smell honeysuckle too. Is that honeysuckle?"

"Yes, they used a honeysuckle shampoo."

"It smells nice."

There's a comfortable silence between us as he combs my hair and I shut my eyes. The fire crackles, the cats are purring, and Link is quietly humming.

He sets down the comb and starts working on the braid itself, weaving my hair gently.

I feel myself getting gradually more drowsy as we sit there in the pleasant warmth of the fireplace, Link running his fingers through my hair, so once he ties the hair tie in, I grab him and twist him around before flopping on the ground so that I'm curled up around him. He's always the little spoon and we both know he loves it.

"Sleepy?" He asks. When my only answer is a nod, he adds, "We should just go to bed, y'know."

"I know."

"So are we going?"

"Nope."

"Alright."

I grab hold of one of his hands and stroke the back of it softly before kissing the back of his head lightly.

"…Love you."

"Love you too."

"Good night."

"G'night."

Link closes his eyes and, as usual, he falls asleep almost immediately, breaths evening out and deepening. I bury my nose in his hair and take a deep breath.

He smells like pumpkins and spices and lavender and comfort. He's so tiny in my arms, chest rising and falling slow and steady. His hair is fluffy and light, too.

I wrap my arms tighter around Link before shutting my eyes and smiling.

"Thanks for being here."

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 **A/N:** hope you liked it review if you want :D


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